I have the 48" side-by-side built-in, and we are having many problems with it. We had it delivered in August, 2007. Here is a pic: The most serious problem we are having is that the temperature, which we are tracking with commercial refrigeration thermometers on the top shelf and in the deli drawer, hovers around 46 degrees while the temperature indicator in the refrigerator states that the interior is 34 degrees. As I said, there are/were many other problems. We have been working with Whirlpool customer service on this. They have been responsive and are pleasant to work with, but they have now sent two different independently-owned local service companies to my house, neither of which has been able to either fix or definitively identify the problem. This experience has been the source of major inconveniences and disappointments, considering that we spent over $5,000 on the refrigerator and chose it over SZ, based, in part, on the salesman's representation that KA is the most reliable brand of built-ins. This morning, I gave Whirlpool a laundry list of issues that arose from the third repair call to my home. I also asked for an RA number to return the refrigerator, which, in my opinion, is not fit for its intended purpose. I was told that my request for an RA would be evaluated by others at Whirlpool. All I will say at this point is that I cannot recommend the KA. Good luck.

normjohnston14 - You probably know this already, but The Brick owns Transglobal. If you buy your appliance at The Brick you will be getting Transglobal. We used to have (emphasis on "used to") an appliance repair contract. The company used Transglobal. I do not put a lot of faith in the Cdn. home service rating company, but Transglobal has practically a 0 rating. We recently had to buy a new fridge. We were seriously challenged by space due to the height - cupboards can't really be cut. So we had to go with a top mount fridge that just fits under the cupboards with the minimum requirement of space above it. I shudder to think of the issues if this fridge dies in the short term because even most of the top mounts are starting to be made at a height of 67 - 69 inches - and many are 33 inches in width. Heck we couldn't get that size of fridge in the doorway. A lot of people have found that while an appliance might fit their space, getting it into their homes can be a major issue - if not impossible. It was also the only top mount we could find (in Ontario) that was Energy Efficient and since you live in Ontario you will know all about that issue. People in the U.S. have considerably more options. I looked at every website out there. We did take out the Extended Warranty just in case - I was afraid not to. It is stainless steel but the type that you can't use stainless steel cleaners on. It is a good thing I knew this because the manual was written by someone I am certain had never seen the fridge and was one of those manuals that cover every single fridge the company makes. But we did not buy the fridge from The Brick. I was told by the fridge manufacturer that if we bought it from The Brick they would have to send Transglobal. Never! The warranty was purchased directly from the manufacturer. I am aware that cosmetic issues are not covered. Actually if you read the Limited Warranty that came with your fridge you will see how hardly anything is covered. We had major issues with our Whirlpool starting at age 1.5. At least it had a bottom mount freezer. You want to speak about rust. Yikes.

jellytoast - I'm glad to hear you like your dishwasher. I like your suggestion of ordering a flush dishwasher but really like the Pro Line. It's pretty :-) KA doesn't seem to offer a flush lip for the trash compactor anymore. I just called the store and the appliance salesman suggested getting the "panel ready" trash compactor instead of stainless, so we can have a panel made to match the cabinets (which will be painted off-white) and won't need to use an appliance handle. I like the idea but DH thinks a light painted cabinet face is not a good choice for a trash compactor, with kids in the house. I don't know if it would be a problem. We don't usually get food on the front of the trash compactor now (just fingerprints) and it would still be cleanable. lynn2006 - thank you for posting the links! nini - you have my dream kitchen. It's gorgeous! Definitely going in my inspiration file for my eventual major remodel. I didn't even notice that the handles were different in the pictures until I went back to check. If both of you like the look and function of the Pro Line handles, can you get replacement handles for your appliances through KitchenAid? The specs on the Architect and Pro Line appliances I'm looking at are the same, so I'm thinking the handle is the only difference.

It is hard to extrapolate from past performance to future performance. So, take all of this with a grain of salt. But if you look around in this forum and ask who still has a 20+ year old fridge, the vast majority of people will tell you that it is SubZero. There are individual outliers, but overall that brand is known to last well. You could also look at manufacturers such as True, Perlick, Bluestar, Miele, ... They all make models that target a similar market. Most of these manufacturers have been around for a long time, but they simply haven't been making residential refrigerators for 20 years yet. So, nobody could tell you for certain, whether their products last that long. Same as nobody can guarantee that at modern SubZero is built just as solidly as what they historically were able to do. If long-term reliability is your concern, then I personally wouldn't look at KitchenAid, JennAir, Electrolux, Samsung, LG, or GE. Their historic track record simply isn't that great. On the other hand, they are much cheaper. You can often by three or four of these models for the cost of a single one of the more expensive brands. The downside is that you might actually have to buy that many replacements.